Zille slams DA leaks and ‘misquotes’

Cape Town - Information about DA federal executive discussions is being leaked by members who want to advance their succession agendas, in the party and its parliamentary caucus, DA leader Helen Zille says.

In her column SA Today on Sunday, she responded to a newspaper report that alleged she had launched an attack on former parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko, who was leaving Parliament to study at Harvard University.

She had not attacked Mazibuko and the leaks, which had been “selective”, had been discussed at the federal executive meeting on Friday, Zille wrote.

She explained the exchange between herself and DA Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip, who had asked about Mazibuko’s reasons for leaving.

Zille said: “I conceded that I had worked hard to promote Lindiwe’s career. I said I had never done as much to promote any person’s career in the DA before. I did not say I ‘made’ her. I did not say I ‘saved’ her. I said I had repeatedly taken responsibility for mistakes made in Parliament, in an attempt to protect her and the parliamentary team. That is also a fact, and no one in the know would dispute it.”